


I've been starving (waiting for it)

by 1am1ronman



Series: Is this love or what? [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Crossword Puzzles?, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, He and Steve are friends?, M/M, Mild torture, Not really canon compliant after that, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Some angst, The Avengers (2012) Compliant, Tony still has the arc reactor, establishing a relationship, i mean of course there is, kidnap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 11:27:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20852672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1am1ronman/pseuds/1am1ronman
Summary: "All I see is a man who- despite having been the target of countless enemies and far less than honorable intentions- chose the path to fix his mistakes.” Steve watched Tony take in his words.“Well, you're far past having made up for them, Tony. The only person who hasn't forgiven you is yourself."--Tony is fed up with being kidnapped and Steve is fed up with pretending he doesn't have it bad for Tony.





	I've been starving (waiting for it)

**Author's Note:**

> Helloooo, fam. One of my goals has always been to actually finish a slow(ish)-burn fic and I found part of this unfinished fic on my computer from like three years ago and decided to wrap it up finally!
> 
> Just some notes: I don't fully know how fast Cap's healing factor is actually supposed to work, so I might've exaggerated it's abilities. But it's all fiction anyway, so hopefully this doesn't offend anyone...Also, the torture elements are very mild in my opinion, but you can skip to the end notes if you want more detail.
> 
> Lastly, the title comes from the song "Hand" by Black Taxi. There are so many good lyrics from that song that I had trouble choosing, so hit it up with a listen if you're interested.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

‘15th most common street name in the U.S., as of 1993’

“Three letters, across...” Steve muttered to himself.

It had become a sort of habit for him to complete the daily crossword in the newspaper every morning. He rarely seemed to know the answers, but it helped catch him up, in a small way. These days, he took every chance he could get, no matter how small.

Usually, Bruce or Tony would help him out, but rarely were either of them awake this early on a Saturday.

“JARVIS, is Bruce still asleep?” Steve figured he’d have a better chance of Bruce being awake.

“I apologize, Captain, but Dr. Banner has not emerged from his quarters. Sir, however, is currently in the workshop, if you request his assistance.”

“The workshop?” Steve frowned. “Tell him I’m coming down.”

“Certainly, Captain.”

Tony was never up this early. Steve checked his watch again to make sure. Yep, six-thirty three. He grabbed the crossword and took one more sip of his coffee, before pouring a fresh cup and heading down to the workshop.

If Tony was up this early, it likely meant he had never gone to sleep in the first place. Staying up all night working on new tech was hardly a strange occurrence for Tony, at least from what Steve had observed since the team had moved into the tower.

Steve recalled what he’d first thought of Stark when he’d met him- a man who was so arrogant, always mouthing off, seemed ill-suited for a spot on the Avengers. But then they’d moved in, Steve and the team. Tony was always working on upgrades for his own armor, but also for the rest of the team. It was his way of doing the best he could to protect the people they were responsible for. Steve had slowly begun to understand that almost everything Tony did was for others. It was only his outer countenance that he made appear self absorbed.

Steve reached the workshop door and typed in his access code, waiting for the click that signalled the door was unlocked. Tony was at his desk, and his back was to Steve, but it looked to him like he was typing on one of the three keyboards laid out in front of him.

“Cap, is it that time already?” Tony didn’t even turn in his chair as Steve came to stand next to the desk.

“You mean morning? Yeah, it’s that time,” Steve said, and Tony smiled. He held out the cup of coffee and Tony grabbed it without even taking his eyes off the screen.

“Come on, hit me,” Tony mumbled around the rim of the mug.

“‘The 15th most common street name in the U.S., as of 1993’,” Steve recited, glancing around the workshop before spotting a chair and dragging it over.

“Huh, any guidelines?” Tony asked.

“Three letters, but that’s all I got.”

“It could be...try ‘Elm’,” Tony hardly seemed like he was paying attention, but Steve had learned that Tony could focus on multiple things at once.

Steve wrote it into the crossword and moved onto the next clue. They sat in companionable silence, as he worked through the puzzle, the silence occasionally interrupted by either Tony giving instructions to JARVIS or Steve asking another question.

“Uhh, ‘I Think I Smell ‘blank,’ by the White Stripes’?” Steve knew for a fact that no amount of thinking would reveal that answer to him.

Tony chuckled. “JARVIS, play ‘I Think I Smell a Rat’.”

Steve shrugged and filled it in, smiling at the sight of Tony mouthing along to the lyrics as the music filtered throughout the workshop.

He wanted to ask Tony about his obvious lack of rest, but he wasn’t his babysitter. Tony was an adult and he didn’t need anyone declaring it bedtime, and Steve knew that was exactly what Tony would say to him if he were to bring it up.

“So, what is it you’ve been working on all night?” Steve tried to be subtle about it.

Tony only gave him a half-hearted glare and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead in the spot between his eyebrows. “JARVIS picked up some sort of interference last night, but it disappeared within an hour. ‘s probably nothing,” Tony paused at Steve’s expression. “Everything’s fine, Steve. I’m not actively avoiding sleep, or anything. I just got caught up with...stuff.”

Steve frowned, but nodded. “Alright, well-” He quieted at the small beeping noise coming from above him. It hadn’t been there moments ago, and Steve’s instinct told him it wasn’t anything in Tony’s workshop.

“Steve? What-” Steve shushed him. He held up a finger at Tony’s curious expression. The beeping was getting quicker and Steve had a terrible feeling in his stomach.

Tony was looking up toward the ceiling, trying to find what was stealing Steve’s attention, but it was too high of a frequency for any normal hearing to pick up. The noise suddenly stopped. And it took Steve exactly 2.6 seconds to grab Tony and dive under the desk before the ceiling imploded.

\-------------------------------------------

Steve had become aware of his surroundings about two minutes ago, but he’d heard voices and decided he had an advantage in feigning unconsciousness. Unfortunately, the voices stopped shortly after he had awoken. The only thing he could gather was that at least two other men were here with them. The bomb, or whatever it was, had to have been planted above Tony’s workshop. It was likely he had been the target, and Steve had simply been a bonus in the whole operation.

What Steve didn’t understand was how someone could’ve planted a bomb inside the Tower without any detection, whatsoever. Although, Steve did vaguely recall Tony telling him that JARVIS had discovered some sort of disruption.

He finally opened his eyes and took in what he could of his surroundings. He was lying face down on top of Tony, who was still unconscious. There was a cut on his forehead that was bleeding slightly, which pointed to something hitting him in the head to knock him out. Steve moved his head slightly to check that there wasn’t blood coming from Tony’s ears, which there wasn’t, thank God. 

Steve could tell there was debris on top of them, weighing his back down slightly- probably the remnants of the desk they’d dove under. He tried to keep the weight off of Tony while he listened for the voices. It was quiet, though, except for the faint sounds of water leaking from the ceiling somewhere and an alarm going off distantly.

He moved slightly to test his range of motion when he felt a gun pressed to the back of his neck, causing him to freeze.

“Don’t even think about it, Captain.”

Before he could even react, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, followed quickly by darkness flooding his vision. As he felt his body start to fall forward, he used his last bit of strength to aim for the ground next to Tony. Steve felt unconsciousness gripping him, but he tried to fight it to hear something from these captors that could help them.

“A bonus gift for the boss. He’ll be pleased,” said one voice, low and rough.

“No, we should stick to the plan. Leave him and take Stark,” another voice, quieter.

“He could be used as incentive for Stark to cooperate.”

“Fine, then you get to haul his ass back to base.”

Steve’s body finally gave in and the world faded to darkness.

\-------------------------------------------

When he came to again, the ground and the air felt cold and damp. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but dark, wet stone. He lifted himself into a seated position, noticing his bound hands, and looked around at the cell they’d thrown him in.

It was small, but big enough that he could probably walk four paces from wall to wall. He glanced to his side and felt a breath release he didn’t know he was holding. Tony lay in a cell next to him, separated from him by metal bars. His cell was a little bigger than Steve’s but not much. Tony was still unconscious, causing worry to shoot through Steve’s chest. If he was still unconscious from the explosion, there was something wrong.

But Steve calmed himself, thinking logically that they must’ve given Tony some of what they’d given Steve. And if it’d taken this long for it to wear off for him with the serum, it would likely take a little longer for Tony.

Steve tested his hand restraints but they were reinforced somehow. It seemed that they’d made some preparations for an enhanced person, but Steve knew it couldn’t have been him, considering the conversation he’d overheard back in Tony’s lab. Maybe it was supposed to be for the Iron Man suit. He looked over at Tony again, taking comfort from the rise and fall of his chest.

Steve heard footsteps approaching distantly and looked away from Tony, leaning his back against the stone wall behind him. It sounded like several people.

Steve was proven right when three figures came to a stop in front of Tony’s cell. The one in front seemed to be in charge of the other two, but didn’t really seem like the boss, if Steve had to guess.

“Still out,” the man in front said. His voice sounded familiar, and Steve realized it was the low, rough voice of the man who had shot the dart in Steve’s neck. He felt his blood begin to boil.

The man to his right shook his head. “Sheesh. Take away his armor and he’s not so tough anymore, is he?”

The words caused Steve’s chest to ache as he remembered he’d said something not so different when he’d first met Tony. But he knew now that Tony’s greatest weapon was his mind. Let these men think differently. They’d figure it out soon enough.

One of the men looked over at Steve’s cell and saw him watching them. “But look who is awake.” This caused the other men to look at him. The man in front stepped in front of his cell, eyeing him for a moment without saying anything.

“Hello, Captain. Sorry if we ruined your morning.”

“No, you’re not,” Steve said.

The man smirked, “No, I’m not.”

Steve considered him for a moment. He had an accent, but Steve couldn’t detect what. Maybe that was the point. He was a big guy, but not as big as Steve. His nose was crooked, like he’d broken it many times and never had surgery- a guy who wanted to look tough, then. None of the men wore armor or covered their faces, so they must’ve been confident that either Steve and Tony weren’t getting out alive to identify them or a record of them didn’t exist for detection.

Or they were willing to be killed or arrested for their cause. That level of devotion would be dangerous for him and Tony because it meant these men had nothing to lose.

“We truly didn’t mean to take you, Captain. You were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time,” the man said. “Although, now that you’re here, we can at least keep track of you. Not to mention, use you as motivation for Mr. Stark.”

“What do you want with him?” Steve asked. The man smirked again. Steve was already beginning to hate that smirk.

“What does anyone want from Tony Stark?” he said, not waiting for Steve to answer. “A weapon.”

With that, the man turned away and the others followed, disappearing down the hallway and out of Steve’s view. Movement to his right caught his attention, and he looked to see Tony starting to sit up, groaning. One hand came to his head, where the cut had stopped bleeding.

“Tony,” Steve breathed a sigh of relief. He shuffled closer on his knees to the bars that separated them. “Don’t panic. How do you feel?”

Tony huffed, and raised his eyes to look at Steve across from him. “Other than a splitting headache and a sore back from my little nap on this stone mattress, I’m great,” Tony said, grimacing as he sat up fully. “What happened?”

“We were taken from your lab this morning when they set off an explosion,” Steve said. “I don’t know where we are or who they are, except that there are at least five people involved, likely more, and we’re in cells underground.”

“What do they want?” Tony asked. Steve hesitated, but they would tell Tony soon enough. “No, let me guess,” Tony interrupted. “A weapon.” Steve frowned over at him, and Tony just nodded his head in resignation. “The bomb was in my lab, so they were targeting me,” Tony continued. “You were probably a bonus in the whole thing-- incentive for me to cooperate, no doubt.”

Steve sighed, not surprised necessarily by Tony’s summary, but always taken aback by his flippant tone in these situations. “Tony, the team is looking for us now, I’m sure. We’re gonna get through this, just like always,” Steve said.

Tony huffed and shook his head, looking down at his hands in his lap. “‘Just like always.’ Yeah, and I’m sure there’ll be a next time, too,” Tony’s tone was bitter.

“Tony, wha-”

“Again, Steve. This is happening again, and this time you’re dragged into my mess,” Tony’s voice was full of self-loathing.

Steve hated it, but he didn’t know what had brought it on. “Tony, you’re not seriously suggesting this is your fault,” Steve said.

Tony just looked up at Steve with resigned eyes, like he’d made up his mind about this. Before Tony could respond, the footsteps were returning quickly.

So, they must have cameras set up in here to monitor us, Steve thought.

Steve sat back from the bars, watching as the man with the crooked nose from before returned, but this time with two different people. And this time, it was obvious that the man leading them was the boss. His presence exuded confidence and narcissism, and the men behind him stayed at a distance. Even if he was the boss, Steve wasn’t intimidated. He was just another man who thought he could take advantage of the defenseless, which was just another kind of cowardice.

They stopped in front of Tony’s cell and the boss smiled down at Tony. He motioned to the men behind him, and they immediately opened Tony’s cell and each grabbed an arm, dragging him to a standing position. Tony didn’t make a sound, but Steve still sprung up to a protective stance.

The boss barely spared Steve a glance, eyes remaining fixed on Tony as he sauntered further into the cell. “Tony Stark. An honor to meet you, really.”

“Wish I could say the same,” Tony said.

The boss smiled and shook his head. “You should feel honored, Stark,” he pointed at Tony. “You should be thanking me.”

Tony raised his eyebrows. “For my migraine or for my new accomodations,” Tony said. “Gotta say, not very accomodating.” The boss laughed, but in his eyes was not amusement. 

“Couldn’t make you too comfortable or you wouldn’t have any motivation to get the job done. Speaking of which,” at that, the boss did look over at Steve. Steve sneered back at him, but the boss only smiled again. He didn’t have to say anything for Tony to get the idea.

“What do you want?” Tony asked, with a forced calmness that betrayed his contempt for the man.

“What would I want from Tony Stark?” the boss asked, mockingly. “Why, a weapon of course.” Steve could see the way Tony’s jaw and fists clenched. “The last time you were held captive, Stark, you created your greatest weapon yet,” the boss continued. “So, it stands to reason that repeating the circumstances would garner similar results.”

Tony glared at the man. “You know those people that kidnapped me? They’re all dead now,” Tony said. “So you might want to rethink your whole strategy.”

The boss smiled. “We won’t be so foolish as to leave you with your own devices, Stark. My men will be with you as you work, and if we suspect anything-- well, let’s just say that the good Captain might have accelerated healing, but it won’t be able to keep up with us...”

Tony looked sick, but he took a breath to steel himself. “Who are you?” Tony asked.

The boss smiled at that too. “So, now you want to know? You can call me Kray.”

“You won’t get away with this, Kray,” Steve said. His words barely had an effect.

“Let’s get started right away, shall we?” Kray said.

\--------------------------------------------

They wanted Tony to build some type of large-scale sonic taser that would incapacitate anyone within a 5-mile radius. Apparently, it was based off of a design that Stark Industries had never approved for mass production many years ago. It had clearly affected Tony when Kray had told him, so Steve guessed he had some sort of history with the device.

Steve knew Tony wouldn’t build it, but he also didn’t know how he was going to get out of it. They would be watching him the whole time he had access to the materials, and if he didn’t do what they asked, they’d torture Steve. Not that Steve wanted Tony to build dangerous weapons because of him, and he knew that if the situation were reversed, Tony wouldn’t want him to do it either.

He supposed their only hope was for their team to find them before Tony finished building the sonic taser. And before they could do too much damage to Steve.

Tony had refused Kray outright and Steve had nodded to him in reassurance. But Kray had simply said ‘We’ll see,’ and disappeared with his men without another word. There hadn’t been a glimpse of them since, and Steve guessed that they were probably planning on starving them out for at least a day before trying again. No harm in trying to break them down when they felt hungry and weak.

Steve could survive without food or water for longer than the average human, but Tony would only last three or four days without water. He hoped to God it wouldn’t come to that. They needed Tony alive, so they’d have to give him water eventually.

He looked over at Tony in the other cell. He sat leaning against the wall, the back of his head tilted up toward the ceiling, looking for something-- probably cameras or microphones. Steve moved closer to the bars.

“Tony.” Tony lowered his head slightly to catch Steve’s eyes, but didn’t speak. “Talk to me,” Steve said. It took another beat, but eventually Tony spoke.

“What do you want me to say, Cap?”

Steve sighed. “I just-- want to know what you’re thinking.”

“I- I don’t know, Steve. I’m just trying to figure shit out,” Tony said. “I don’t understand how any of this happened. How did they plant that bomb in my lab? How did they get in the tower? How did they even know I’d be in there at six in the morning?”

Tony rubbed his forehead, something he’d been doing more and more over the last couple of hours. He spoke again before Steve could respond.

“I’m thinking that I won’t do what they want, but that there’s no way I can just stand by while they torture you,” Tony continued. “I’m thinking I’m exhausted of my past coming back to bite me in the ass, and I’m thinking this cell feels a lot like a cave-” Tony broke off with a noise of frustration, leaning his head back again and closing his eyes.

Steve didn’t know where to start with all of that. He hadn’t even considered that this would feel similar to the cave Tony had been held prisoner in, which was stupid of him. He didn’t know a lot about Tony’s time in Afghanistan, but not for lack of trying. He’d asked Tony about it once and the response had been, ‘That’s for me to know, Cap.’ He didn’t know if Tony had ever really talked about it to anyone.

“I’m sorry, Tony. But please don’t worry about me,” Tony scoffed, but Steve talked over him. “I’m serious. The serum will heal me. There’s almost nothing they could do that would cause permanent damage.”

“You can’t seriously expect me to calmly watch you get tortured, Cap. I’m not that heartless,” Tony said flippantly.

Steve frowned at him. “That’s not what I meant-”

“I know what you meant, Steve,” Tony interrupted. “And I’ll do my best, but I’m going to break eventually. I’m not...strong enough.” Tony’s voice sounded defeated, already. 

Steve sighed. “Tony, the fact that you can’t watch your teammate in pain doesn’t make you weak. I know for a fact that if you were alone here being...tortured,” Steve struggled to think about it, “you’d never give in to their demands. You’d die before you’d help them harm innocent lives.” Tony didn’t respond, so Steve knew he was right.

“I know you don’t want to see me in pain,” Steve continued. “But I don’t want to be responsible for innocent people getting hurt or killed either. If you think you’re about to break, just remember that giving in will hurt me more than any form of torture would.”

Tony was quiet for a moment, before he opened his eyes and met Steve’s through the bars of the cell. “Always putting others before yourself,” Tony gave him a small smile. “I understand, Cap. I’ll try.”

Steve nodded, satisfied. “It’s not just me, Tony,” Steve added, quietly. “You may pretend like you only care about yourself, sometimes, but you’re one of the most selfless people I know.” Tony gave a small, self-deprecating laugh, but Steve interrupted him. “No, don’t do that. Don’t brush it off,” Steve said. “I’ve rarely seen someone so dedicated to helping the world be a safer place. It’s why you’re an Avenger.”

Tony didn’t react, but Steve could see his jaw working, like he was biting back one of his usual sarcastic responses. It bothered Steve how much Tony was in denial about this. He’d never met anyone that acted so narcissistic on the outside and yet had so little concern for his own wellbeing.

“And this isn’t your fault, by the way,” Steve said. “Since I know that’s what you’re thinking.” This did get a reaction out of Tony.

“How can you explain that one, Cap?” Tony said, derisively. “We wouldn’t be here at all if it weren’t for the things I invented for Stark Industries weapons manufacturing. Or if I hadn’t built Iron Man.”

“Tony-”

“And you definitely wouldn’t be here if I would just give up this stupid dream that I could make up for my past mistakes,” Tony shook his head to himself. “First, I drag Pepper into my messes. Now, you. And I can’t keep doing this. It’s never gonna stop, and there will always be someone else who wants...the suit, the technology, the weapons-- I thought I’d escaped this part of me, Steve. But I never will. Weapons are all people wants from me. I haven’t changed my legacy in anyone’s eyes.”

“That’s not true, Tony. You’ve changed in the eyes of people that matter. And if all people wanted from you were weapons, then explain me. Do you think I want weapons from you, Tony?”

Tony gave a bitter laugh. “Not how you think you do, Steve. You want Iron Man.”

“Iron Man’s not a weapon, Tony. You’ve said so yourself.”

“It is, Steve! God, who am I kidding? It has ammo, tons of potentially lethal tech-”

“Those are weapons, Tony. But the suit itself...ammo is not what makes Iron Man. You are Iron Man. Without you, the suit’s just...a suit,” Steve said.

“Just a suit? Come on, Cap. Put any one of these guys in that suit and it becomes hostile. The suit is only as moral as its pilot.”

“Exactly,” Steve says, making Tony look over at him sharply. “Without you, it could potentially be an instrument of destruction. But with you...Tony, with you, all I see is creation and- and innovation. All I see is a man who- despite having been the target of countless enemies and far less than honorable intentions- chose the path to fix his mistakes.” Steve watched Tony take in his words.

“Well, you're far past having made up for them, Tony,” Steve finished. “The only person who hasn't forgiven you is yourself."

\--------------------------------------------

Steve was right. Kray and his men didn’t come back for at least another 22 hours, by Steve’s internal clock. He and Tony had gotten some sleep, but it was the kind that wasn’t at all restful. The cells were cold and damp, and Steve could feel Tony shivering from his own cell, no matter how he tried to conceal it.

To make matters worse, Tony was only dressed in his jeans and a thin tank top, like he often wore in the lab. Not that Steve was much better off in his t-shirt. He thought about taking off his shirt and throwing it into Tony’s cell for him, just so he would have an extra layer, but he didn’t think it would be welcomed or appreciated.

When Kray did appear, they were jolted awake as men rushed into both of their cells, pulling them into standing positions. Steve immediately fought back, knocking down both guards, even with his hands bound. Guards outside the cell shot him with another of the darts they’d used to kidnap them, but a lower dosage, making Steve weak and dizzy but not knocking him unconscious.

They then chained his arms above his head and his ankles to the ground, even shedding him of his shoes before the sedative could wear off. Steve knew he’d given away an advantage by fighting, but he’d had to at least try. They wouldn’t make the same mistake again. He just hoped they wouldn’t leave him chained up after they were done with him today.

One of the men behind him tore off Steve’s shirt, causing Steve to sigh. Now he definitely wouldn’t be giving it to Tony.

Steve didn’t look over at Tony, not wanting to see the way they were likely restraining him to make him watch what they were about to do. Kray walked into the cell with Steve, looking over at Tony with his mocking smile. The crooked nose man from before was next to Steve, holding a knife that he was twisting around in his grip so the sharp point would catch the light. He gave a sadistic smirk to Steve.

Kray motioned to the man, directing his next words to Tony. “I don’t like to get my hands dirty, myself,” Kray said, smiling. “But Blade, here-- well, you can probably guess that he likes his knives.”

Blade, as he was apparently called, grinned and moved to trail his knife almost delicately across Steve’s chest. But even the barely-there pressure caused a thin trail of blood to well-up in the knife’s path. Whether they realized it or not, it was actually less painful for Steve if the knife was well sharpened. Better than a dull blade would’ve been. He wouldn’t be telling them that, though.

“You’re in control of what happens next, Stark,” Kray said. “Say the right words, and all of this stops.”

Steve chanced a look at Tony, even though he knew he’d regret it. He wasn’t saying a word, but his eyes were already full of hatred. The two men restraining him wouldn’t be able to prevent Tony from closing his eyes if he had to.

“I see you’re going to be stubborn about this,” Kray said, sighing. “Blade.”

At the sound of his name, Blade stopped playing around and dug the tip of the knife into Steve’s shoulder, dragging it across his chest. The suddenness of the cut made Steve breathe in sharply, but he recovered quickly enough, steeling his features into a hard mask. As they watched, the bleeding stopped and the cut began to heal, slowly but still faster than average.

“Interesting,” Kray said. “Again.”

Blade didn’t hesitate to plunge the knife into Steve’s stomach. The impact made him gasp, but even as the blade was pulled out, the bleeding was slowing down. Within a few hours, it would be completely healed. Steve felt sweat begin to prickle at his hairline.

“Very interesting,” Kray said, with a thoughtful expression. “Anything to add?” Kray raised an eyebrow at Tony, but he was just as stubborn as before, though his breath was coming a little faster. 

“Well, then,” Kray continued. “Blade will do his worst, and then we’ll see if you’re feeling any differently on the matter.” Blade grinned at Steve, his blood dripping from the knife. “I don’t particularly enjoy the screams, so I’ll be back once I feel you’ve had your fair share of them,” Kray finished.

He swept out of the cell without another look, leaving the two men in Steve’s cell and the two others in Tony’s, plus two outside the cells guarding the doors. Steve took a deep breath to prepare himself.

“I’ve never had a subject with a healing factor before, so this should be fun,” Blade said, opening his jacket to reveal different knives and tools he had at his disposal. “I wanna see what wounds take the longest to heal. I wanna see what makes Captain America beg for mercy.”

Steve didn’t bother with responding. He doubted he would ever beg this man for anything, but he supposed he didn’t fully know what he was capable of.

Never say never, he thought.

\----------------------------------------------

The next several hours weren’t Steve’s favorite, but they might’ve been Blade’s. He’d never seen someone take such perverted delight from torturing others. He could tell that this part of the process was a means to an end for Kray, but his henchman took real pleasure in the undertaking.

Blade had discovered after the first hour that having more knives meant he could in fact leave some of them in Steve, and that this would obviously prevent the serum from healing the wound. What he didn’t fully realize- and what Steve was dreading- was that the wounds were trying to heal internally around the blades, and that when they were eventually removed, Blade would tear the wound open again. It would be painful.

Blade had also eventually grown tired of the knives pulling little reaction from Steve, and had moved on to other tactics, such as breaking bones. He might not have been as big as Steve, but he was certainly strong enough to cause damage. And he’d correctly assumed that broken bones would take longer for the serum to heal.

He’d only just dislocated Steve’s knee and almost definitely broken his left shin bone, when Kray reappeared. The last strike to his leg had pulled out a strangled shout from Steve, but it was by no means the worst pain he’d been in. He was definitely aching though, and breathing quite heavily from both the pain and the exertion of keeping his reactions in check.

“Had enough yet?” Kray asked. His cocky gaze on Tony prompted Steve to get his first look at him in hours. Tony was breathing heavily too, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly as he tried to hold onto his control. “No?” Kray asked.

When the only sounds in the silence were both Tony and Steve’s breaths, Kray pulled a gun from his hip and shot without warning at Steve’s right leg. Steve was unable to stop from crying out in his surprise, and Tony immediately struggled against the hold the two men had on him.

“Steve!” Tony’s voice was at a breaking point.

“Tony,” Steve projected calm into his voice around the pain, meeting Tony’s eyes through the bars and hopefully communicating what he intended.

Don’t give up, Tony. I’m not done fighting.

Tony’s eyes were full of desperation, but Steve’s gaze made him nod in grudging understanding.

“Ah, I see. So you’ve made some agreement about this, have you?” Kray said. “Let me guess, the Captain wants to be self-sacrificing and Stark is meant to respect that decision.” Steve and Tony remained silent. “And you probably even think you can stall until your friends find you,” Kray said, a smile coming over his features. “Well, I can assure you that your friends won’t find you here. They won’t even think to look.”

The words made a frown appear on Tony’s face, one that probably meant Kray had given something important away.

“Any further refusal to cooperate will only result in the Captain’s eventual death,” Kray continued. “And no matter how long you think you’ll last, Stark, you won’t let yourself be responsible for Captain America’s death.”

Tony met Steve’s eyes again, and Steve could see that Kray was right. It didn’t matter what Steve told Tony or how much he insisted that he was alright, Tony wouldn’t let Steve die if he could do something to stop it.

Steve grimaced as he felt one of his broken ribs shift. The rest of his body would heal in time without a trace of the trauma done to him, but he needed to get the bullet out of his leg before it fully healed. If he didn’t, he’d have to reopen the wound and dig it out.

Kray turned his attention to Steve with a disinterested glance. “Blade, you’ve worked hard enough today, I think,” Kray said. “Take your toys, but leave them with something to think about.”

Kray made his swift exit again as Blade turned back toward Steve. He pulled out the remaining knives still protruding from Steve, but made sure to twist them a little just before. Steve grunted as the knives were pulled out, shutting his eyes with the effort not to make more sound. He felt the prick of a needle in his neck, presumably from the man still stationed behind him, and the sedative worked quickly.

His wrists were unchained and he collapsed to the ground, gasping slightly from jarring his injuries. He heard one man leave but was helpless to prevent the kick to the face that likely came from Blade’s boot. He stayed on the ground until he heard the cell doors lock and all the footsteps recede as the sedative began to wear off. There was blood flowing from his nose, which was definitely broken, but it would heal.

Steve sat up carefully, his breathing shallow to prevent jostling his ribs too much. He glanced down at his right thigh, where the bullet wound had stopped bleeding. Steve didn’t let himself think twice before digging out the bullet, breathing through the pain and the instinct telling him to stop.

There was silence as Steve looked into Tony’s cell, where Tony was on his knees looking in Steve’s direction but not seeming to really see him. His eyes were glazed and he looked so tired. Steve ached in his chest, and it wasn’t because of the knife wounds.

“Tony,” he started quietly.

“Don’t,” Tony said, his voice cracking.

“Tony, I’m okay,” Steve tried, but Tony met his eyes and the look in them was like he’d already given up.

“Well, I’m not,” Tony said in a hoarse whisper. “I can’t do this, Steve. I can’t watch them-- You don’t know what it’s like...”

Steve took a moment before responding to think about what it would be like for him, watching them torture Tony, knowing that if he gave in, Tony’s pain would stop. Steve realized he would’ve given up hours ago.

“Alright, Tony,” Steve said gently. He looked at Steve in surprise, and Steve nodded. “I understand.”

And it was like those words set Tony free. He closed his eyes and breathed out shakily, moving closer to Steve and leaning against the bars that separated them. “H-how are you? What can I do?” Tony asked.

Steve shook his head as he took stock of everything. “I think it’s all healing,” Steve said. “The bones will take longer, but all the cuts are gone. I’m thinking it’ll be 24 hours and I’ll be completely healed.” Steve rubbed at a spot of dried blood on his chest, the only indication that a knife had been dragged there, revealing the clean, healthy skin underneath. Tony let out a sigh.

“Well, thank God for the serum,” Tony said, his voice still shaky despite the teasing tone.

Steve cautiously pulled himself closer to Tony. He leaned against the bars so that he was facing him. If he focused, he could feel the bone in his shin shifting slowly back into place, and he shut his eyes with a groan. When he opened them, Tony was looking at him with worry.

“Distract me?” Steve asked with a small smile.

Tony returned the smile, but it quickly faded as he seemed to make up his mind about something. “I’ve never-” Tony cut himself off, but when he looked at Steve again, his eyes were determined. “I’ve never told anyone about Afghanistan.”

Steve made sure to keep his face open and neutral. He didn’t want to scare Tony away from this topic if this was the first time he’d ever talked about it.

“I- can’t talk about most of it,” Tony said, and Steve nodded in understanding. “But...I wasn’t alone. There was another prisoner with me.” Steve waited patiently, but it seemed like Tony didn’t know where to go next.

“What was their name?” Steve asked.

“Yinsen,” Tony said, with difficulty. “His name was Yinsen.”

Tony began to tell Steve about Yinsen and about the cave- how Yinsen had saved his life and helped him build the arc reactor and the suit. And how at the end, he didn’t make it. How he’d sacrificed himself to give Tony time and to see his family again.

“He told me not to waste my life,” Tony said. “Those were his last words.”

“You haven’t, Tony,” Steve responded, gently but unfalteringly.

Tony didn’t speak for a bit, but Steve could feel him building up to something. Eventually, he sighed. “I know you think I’ve made up for my mistakes, Steve, but you didn’t know me before,” Tony said. “I didn’t deserve a second chance. And, honestly, I don’t think I would’ve asked for one.”

“It’s not about ‘deserve,’ Tony. Plenty of people that ‘deserve’ second chances don’t get them. But you got one, whether you wanted it or not, and you didn’t waste it,” Steve said.

“Maybe not,” Tony relents, but he isn’t done. “I just-- in that cave, I realized I had nothing and no one, at least where it counted. Ten years later and nothing has changed.”

“You’re wrong,” Steve says firmly. Tony’s expression turns sharp, but Steve’s tired of this pity party. “Tony, so many people care about you and depend on you. Me, the Avengers, Pepper and Rhodey. And even Fury, in his own way.” Tony gave Steve a long-suffering look.

“I’m sorry, but it’s not up to you this time. People care about you. And they care about me, too. And they’re out there right now looking for us,” Steve said. “You’re right that I didn’t know you before, but you didn’t know me before the serum either. It doesn’t matter what either of us were like then because it doesn’t change that I know you now. And I know how you think.” Tony huffed and shook his head.

"Right now, you're thinkin' that after all a' this, you'll quit the team and quit Iron Man, and leave it all behind you. And you think that you'll be doing us and the world a favor in doing so. But you're forgetting something very important about yourself." The look Tony gave Steve told him that Tony knew where he was going with this.

"You, Tony, are incapable of sitting on the sidelines. No matter how many mistakes you think you've made, you keep fighting because you can't stand the idea of watching the world lose when you could've done something to help. I know you, Tony Stark. And you might've even gone through with whatever plan you have, and resigned as an Avenger for a month or a year. Who knows? But as soon as anything happened to Natasha or to Bruce or to me or to any of us, yourself would be the first person you would blame, no matter how illogical."

Tony actually looked a little embarrassed at Steve's words, like he knew it was what he would've done if Steve hadn't laid it all out in that way.

"So save us and yourself from the agony of it all. And just. Keep. Fighting," Steve finished. He was breathing harder than he’d realized after the whole speech. Tony had an unreadable expression on his face, but a hint of amusement slipped out.

“You sounded really Brooklyn for a bit there, Cap.” Steve rolled his eyes, but smiled down at his lap. “I wish I’d gotten to know that little guy from Brooklyn,” Tony said, still smiling.

Steve looked back at him. “You did,” Steve said, earnestly. Tony blinked at that, but eventually nodded. Neither of them said anything for a minute but Steve could see how exhausted Tony was. “Try to get some sleep,” Steve said.

Tony nodded again and laid down on his side, facing Steve. Steve could almost reach through the bars and touch him. He was surprised by how much he wanted to. 

“Steve,” Tony said, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Something Kray said earlier got me thinking.”

Steve nodded for him to go on. “I thought you’d caught onto something.”

“Yeah, its-” Tony bit his lip slightly in thought, and lowered his voice. “It’s the way he talked about where we are...‘They won’t even think to look.’ Like we’re in plain sight or something.” Tony looked up at Steve as they both considered that. “Anyway,” Tony continued. “Night, Steve.”

It wasn’t night yet, but Steve knew what Tony meant. “Night, Tony.”

Steve sat watching Tony for a long time, making sure he’d fallen asleep and watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. Eventually, he drifted off after him.

\-------------------------------------------

The next morning, Tony told Kray that he would cooperate, which meant that Tony was taken away to wherever they were having him build the sonic taser. Steve was left alone in his cell with nothing to do or think about, except whether they were treating Tony alright or giving him food or water.

He suddenly realized that it was hard to sit alone with his thoughts in this new century. He never used to struggle with alone time, but recently, he’d gotten used to technology always being on in some form or the voices of the other Avengers filtering through the Tower. He’d gotten used to how loud life could be with his team, and the quiet was unsettling now.

It made him realize how acquainted to this century he’d really become. He remembered a time when nothing felt familiar here. Everyone he’d known before the war had died, except Peggy, of course, who Steve only visited when he was feeling particularly selfish or masochistic. But it didn’t hurt like it did before. Not now that he had a family and a purpose.

And Tony was a huge part of all of it. He honestly didn’t know what he would do if he lost him. So he wouldn’t let that happen.

He used the hours alone to examine his and Tony’s cells. He thought he’d figured out where the cameras were, almost entirely camouflaged within the wall yet still detectable to his eyes, but he had no idea whether they were recording sound or not. They would just need to assume that they were, and not talk about anything Tony was likely planning. Steve knew that there was no way Tony was building that sonic taser. He didn’t know how, but Tony always found a way to use technology to his advantage.

Steve tested the strength of the cell’s metal bars with his back to the camera, hoping it would just look like he was looking down the hall where Tony had disappeared along with Kray’s men. The bars were sturdy, but they started to give slightly with about half of Steve’s strength. He stopped before he could make any noticeable gap, but when the time came, he would have something to contribute to their escape.

When Tony was returned hours later, his hands were cuffed and each arm was held by a guard. They deposited him back in his cell, at which point they removed the cuffs. Tony waited until the guards were out of sight and hearing distance, before coming over to the bars between their cells. Steve closed the distance between them so they could talk quietly.

He also wanted to get closer to Tony to make sure he wasn’t banged up at all. He looked alright from the outside, but Steve had no idea what kind of twisted things Kray might’ve been saying to him all day.

“How did it go?” Steve asked.

“As well as I could’ve hoped, I guess,” Tony said. Steve raised his eyebrows, hoping to get more than that. “I can’t tell you exactly,” Tony said carefully, “but just trust me. I’m gonna fix this, Steve.”

Steve sighed, resignedly. “This isn’t your fault, Tony, but I trust you.”

Tony smiled slightly, and Steve glanced down, noticing a burn on Tony’s hand where it was wrapped around one of the bars. Steve instinctively moved to touch his hand, but stopped short when he realized it would likely hurt. “How did that happen?”

“Oh,” Tony looked down at his hand. “Just from a soldering iron, I think. ‘Same old, same old.’” Steve shrugged. Another saying he hadn’t heard of that he could add to the list. “If it were you, it would’ve been long gone by now,” Tony said.

Steve nodded thoughtfully, glancing again at the irritated skin. “If I could give you the healing factor, I would,” Steve said honestly.

He’d often thought about how unfair it was that his teammates, excluding Thor who never seemed to get injured too badly, had to experience the slow-going, painful healing process after almost every mission. The only consolation was that at least painkillers worked for the others.

“That’s okay, Cap,” Tony said with a small laugh. “Supersoldier stuff is your thing. I’ve had about thirty years to get used to solder burns.”

Steve smiled and looked away quickly. He didn’t know why his neck suddenly felt hot, except that Tony’s voice had sounded kind of like the way he’d used to talk to Pepper.

Tony cleared his throat. “Anyway, how did you fill the long- no doubt, extremely boring- hours of my absence?” Tony asked.

“Figured out where the cameras are,” Steve said. “And this...” He took ahold of two bars between them and pulled gently until they shifted slightly. Tony looked up at him in thought. “I know you’re planning something, Tony,” Steve spoke even quieter than they had been. “And I can help. When the time comes.”

Tony nodded and winked at Steve. His expression wasn’t anything like it had been yesterday. He looked like the Tony that Steve had grown to know- charming and confident and whip-smart.

They were gonna get out of here.

\----------------------------------------

It went on like that for several more days- Tony being swept away in the early morning and not returning for hours. Steve didn’t have anything to do in that time, but a piece of rock had broken off of part of the wall, so Steve spent the hours using it to carve drawings into the stone ground. The rock would be too dull soon to even do that, though.

One evening, after they’d returned Tony and he and Steve were doing their usual report to each other, Tony had taken Steve’s hand between the bars and guided it to his hip and under his shirt. Steve had blushed to high heaven before he’d realized Tony was running his hand over metal; some small supplies that Tony was smuggling from the lab each day to build something without Kray knowing.

Tony had smirked for a full minute until Steve’s blush had dissipated.

Two days later, they’d been awoken much the same as their first day, with Steve getting darted and men rushing in to restrain them both. With the sedative, Steve had only gotten every other word of the interaction, but a gun had been forced under his chin as Kray demanded to know where the missing supplies were.

Tony had been trying to placate Kray but the pressure of the gun under Steve’s chin had increased until he winced, and Tony had insisted they search his person. The men holding him had frisked him forcefully, throwing him to the ground when they found nothing.

Kray and his men had stormed out afterward, with one last warning to Tony that speculated as to whether Steve’s serum ‘would save him from a bullet between the eyes.’

The whole interaction had been so fast that Steve had had to lay groggily on the ground until the sedative wore off enough for him to get closer to where Tony kneeled watching him. Steve had wrapped his hand around where Tony’s clutched the bar, knuckles white with the force of his grip.

When he finally spoke, he’d whispered to Steve that he’d thought they were getting suspicious and had hidden the mechanism in their lab in case they checked his cell. Steve nodded in understanding, always amazed by the way Tony could think ahead.

Tony had leaned his forehead against the bars, close to where their hands overlapped. Steve’s breathing had been unsteady, and he’d doubted it was because of the sedative.

\--------------------------------------------

When the time did come, Steve was way past ready to get out of his small cell. It started like every other morning, except that after a few hours of Tony’s absence, an alarm rang out throughout the facility and Steve could’ve sworn the walls were shaking slightly. He could also swear there was gunfire.

He stood up and looked down the hallway for Tony, but no one was coming yet. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to stay there and wait, or break out of his cell right then. He didn’t have to wonder long before he could hear the sounds of shouting, fast-approaching. Guards holding Tony rounded the corner and quickly shoved him into his cell.

They immediately ran off with their guns drawn, leaving Steve and Tony in their cells.

Steve looked over at Tony, who nodded in confirmation.

“Alright, then,” Steve said, grabbing onto the bars of his cell and pulling with all of his strength.

The bars screeched as they took new shape, and Steve grunted with the effort. He was superhuman, but he wasn’t Iron Man. The thought made him smile to himself, despite the circumstances.

When there was a big enough gap, he braced his back against one side and used his legs to push the gap apart wider for him to fit through. Tony watched as he did the same thing for his cell.

Tony stepped through the gap and winked at Steve. “Thank you, Captain,” he said, patting Steve’s chest before taking off down the hallway.

Steve was thankful that at least Tony hadn’t been able to see that particular blush.

He followed Tony through several doorways that seemed like they would usually be locked, especially with the alarm that likely signalled a security breach. When Steve gave Tony a look, Tony shrugged. “I might’ve installed a virus in the security system. Just to make things a little easier.”

Steve smiled and shook his head, and they continued their escape. 

After not meeting much resistance thus far, a shock of adrenaline shot through Steve when they entered another hallway and it was filled with men, all previously aiming the other direction and now with guns trained on him and Tony.

They both quickly reacted, Steve with his fists and Tony with...a repulsor? Steve focused on dodging bullets and knocking out his assailants, which got easier after he acquired one’s gun and was able to incapacitate the others. Upon closer inspection, Tony had rigged a repulsor like device in his palm that had wires running up his arm and under his shirt to the reactor.

“Is that what you’ve been working on?” Steve asked him. Tony grinned and nodded, motioning for Steve to follow him.

When they came upon the next set of guards, Steve raised his gun but Tony threw something and grabbed onto Steve, tugging him behind the corner as it exploded. Steve looked at Tony with raised eyebrows. “Any other surprises?” Steve asked.

Tony smirked and shrugged. “I guess we’ll see.”

Steve smiled as he followed after Tony to the end of the hall, where a stairway led up toward the sounds of gunfire. Tony shook out his shoulders and started through the doorway, but Steve grabbed his wrist. “You’re not wearing any armor, Tony.”

“Well, what would you suggest?” Tony huffed. “We’ve gotta go up there if you want to get out of here.”

Steve frowned to himself. “At least, let me go first,” he insisted.

Tony rolled his eyes, but swept his arm out for Steve to lead the way. Steve smiled at the small victory and started the climb up. As they got closer to the surface, Steve felt like the surroundings were looking more and more familiar, until they burst outside into a gunfight and Steve realized why.

They’d been underneath SHIELD headquarters in New York, barely fifty miles from Stark Tower. Steve’s grip tightened around the gun in his hands. He needed an explanation, and he needed one fast. But first, they needed to get out of immediate danger.

Steve and Tony crouched behind a broken chunk of concrete, and Steve surveyed the area. A sensation of relief stronger than he expected filled his chest when he saw his team, along with many SHIELD agents, fighting against Kray’s men.

Steve looked behind him at Tony, who grinned in response. That had to be the last surprise up his sleeve.

Steve saw SHIELD agents he recognized and realized he didn’t know who to trust in that moment. He had a feeling allegiances amongst agents were still being worked out, but what caught his attention more was the shield that was slung across Natasha’s back.

Steve grinned, feeling more like himself than he’d felt since the day of that explosion in Tony’s lab. Tony saw his expression and laughed slightly. “Yeah, yeah, Cap. We’ll get you to that shield.” Tony looked down at Steve’s bare feet and grimaced. “You might want to be careful where you step, though.”

Steve took a deep breath and nodded at Tony, before they both straightened from their crouch and started running toward their teammates. Hawkeye was the first to spot them, obvious by the arrows that started picking off any people aiming guns at them.

Steve wanted to shout at Natasha, but he didn’t want to distract her. So instead, he and Tony ran until they were within her eyesight, Steve picking off attackers with his gun and Tony utilizing his makeshift repulsor.

Natasha smiled and Steve immediately shed the gun in his hand as Natasha smoothly detached the shield from her back, and in the same motion, flung it toward Steve. As soon as the shield was in his hands, Steve felt like he could do anything.

“Good to have you back, boys,” Natasha shouted over the gunfire. “There’s a present for you too, Stark.”

Tony looked nearly giddy as the quinjet, which had been hovering above the chaos, lowered toward the ground and opened the hangar to reveal Agent Hill with a silver suitcase. She tossed the suitcase and it landed nearby, skittering across the ground until Tony stopped it with his foot.

Steve watched as the suitcase sprung open and Tony pulled the compact suit onto his chest, the rest of it forming effortlessly around him. “Thank, Christ,” Tony muttered just before the faceplate closed, but Steve caught it and smiled to himself.

They shot into action immediately, and after that, the battle was bound to end soon. The Avengers were just too strong together, not to mention the SHIELD agents who made the process quicker. Before even half an hour had passed, Kray’s men were being cuffed and ushered into the custody of law enforcement.

Kray himself was missing, but Steve couldn’t imagine it would be for too long, with the combined minds of SHIELD and Tony Stark looking for him.

“How are your feet, Cap?” Tony asked. His faceplate was still down, and Steve was simultaneously glad to see Iron Man again yet somehow also wishing he could see Tony’s face.

“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” Steve said. “I maybe sliced it on some debris earlier but it’ll heal quick.”

Clint dropped down next to Tony, from where Steve could not determine, and whistled. “Brutal. We had your suit on the jet, Cap, but there wasn’t really time to...”

“Yeah,” Steve finished. “Don’t worry about it.”

Natasha had gone off to calm the Hulk, who had caused most of the destruction and Clint and Tony were already bickering like schoolboys, so Steve was coordinating with law enforcement when Thor strode up to him and pulled him into a surprise hug.

“Captain! I regret that it took us so long to find you. You look in good health despite the-” Thor took in Steve’s shirtless and barefoot self, “-lack of suitable protection.”

Steve smiled and patted Thor on the back. “I’m fine, Thor,” Steve said. “And Tony, too. Although medical should check him for concussion symptoms. He hit his head during the explosion when we were kidnapped.”

Thor pulled away from the hug and looked around them. “Ah, Tony! His intelligence never fails to surprise me,” Thor said. “Without him we could not have found you.”

Thor went off, probably to surprise hug Tony, but his words confirmed what Steve had already guessed. Whatever Tony had been doing in Kray’s lab, he’d somehow sent a signal to the team so they were able to find them.

Steve didn’t know how Tony could look back at all his past accomplishments and everything he’d done for the Avengers and not realize how much they needed him. He’d just have to keep reminding Tony.

Once they’d done all they could at SHIELD and retrieved Bruce, the Avengers reunited officially on the quinjet. There was a lot of hugging and suppressed tears, but it already felt like the way it should be. None of the team had asked Tony or Steve what had happened in the nine days that they were prisoners. And he knew they wouldn’t push either of them to talk if they didn’t want to.

Nick Fury, however, was a different story. Steve knew he wouldn’t have the same compunction about preserving their feelings, so Steve was determined to intercept him before he could get to Tony.

He approached Hill while Tony was plotting the course back to the Tower. “Fury?” Hill gave Steve her usual inscrutable look.

“He’s set to meet us at the Tower. He’s got some questions,” Hill responded.

“Well, so have I,” Steve said. “Tell him to meet me in my apartment.” Hill raised an eyebrow, but gave Steve a single nod.

He rejoined his team, where a shirt and shoes were shoved into his hands (finally). He pulled on the shirt, and hoped that Fury would listen to him at least this once.

\---------------------------------------------

“Captain,” Fury greeted him. “Glad to see you’re still kicking.” Steve could never tell when Fury was being funny.

“Yes, well. I’m glad that you’re glad,” Steve motioned at one of the armchairs. “Please sit down, sir.”

“I’m assuming there’s a reason I’m in your private apartment, soldier,” Fury said. “And I’m also assuming there’s a reason your recent cellmate is absent.”

Steve nodded. This was exactly why Fury couldn’t talk to Tony. “Sir, I wanted to tell you that I will submit a full report of what occurred down there. I’ll even answer any questions you have right now,” Steve said. “But I think- well, I know- that it would be best if you didn’t ask the same of Tony.”

Fury considered him for a moment in silence. “And why, Captain, should I do that?”

Steve rubbed his hands over his knees. “Well, just like you say, sir. I’m a soldier,” Steve started. “And I have a certain ability to...compartmentalize these things, I guess. Tony...well, I just don’t think it would be good for him- for his health- to dwell on what happened. Not before he’s ready.”

Fury didn’t respond right away, but eventually he nodded. “I can respect that, Captain.”

Steve smiled in spite of himself. “That’s- thank you, sir.”

“Just tell me this,” Fury continued. “Is there anything I should know right now? Anything that could be a threat to national security?”

Steve chewed it over for a moment. “Just that a man named Kray was behind this. They were after Tony, and I was an unintentional addition,” Steve said. “They wanted Tony to build a device- a large-scale sonic taser- but he refused.”

Fury nodded and stood up, causing Steve to follow him. “I’ll expect that full report on my desk by Monday,” Fury said. Steve had thought as much.

“Sir, what’s happening at SHIELD?” Steve asked. Fury sighed, one of the first times Steve had seen an honest emotional reaction out of him, if that’s what it could be called. 

“That’s a very complicated question, soldier,” Fury responded. “With a very complicated answer.” Steve frowned down at his hands, before looking back at Fury.

“Can I expect a response from you on that by Monday?” Steve asked. Fury raised an eyebrow and there was a beat of tension, before he actually laughed.

“Sure thing, Captain,” Fury shook his head. “I’ll try to put it down on paper, if I can.” Steve nodded and shook the hand that Fury held out to him. “Get some rest, Rogers. You might be back to work sooner than you think.”

With that, Fury saw himself out, his leather coat rippling behind him. When the elevator doors had slid shut, Steve thought that he could really use a shower now. And then an enormous meal. And then, at least, one good night’s sleep.

\---------------------------------------------

After he’d showered and changed, he emerged into the common space to look for food, finding the rest of the team was already there. And they’d ordered pizza.

Steve didn’t even say a word to anyone in his beeline for one of the boxes. Only after he’d devoured three slices did he acknowledge the people around him.

“Hungry there, Cap?” Bruce asked, with a quirk to his mouth. Steve gave him a sheepish look, but could only nod with his mouth full.

Clint laughed and clapped him on the back. “No one could blame you there. Tony’s had a whole pizza by now. And he doesn’t even have a super metabolism.”

“Yes, it was quite impressive, actually,” Thor said from his seat at the counter. “I’ve never seen a meal disappear so quickly, on Earth or Asgard!”

Steve looked across the room at Tony, who was also freshly showered, his hair still slightly wet. He was already passed out on the couch, his body having shut down once he’d finally eaten something. Steve was thankful for that at least, and hoped that Tony’s sleep would be free of nightmares.

Natasha caught his gaze from where she sat in the armchair next to Tony. Her brows were furrowed at Steve in thought, like she was trying to puzzle something out. Steve looked back at his pizza before she could scrutinize him further.

After he’d eaten and was able to slip away from his teammates, who were a little clingy at the moment (not that Steve could blame them), he fell into his bed and was nearly asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. His last thought that he could remember was that he needed to talk to Tony tomorrow...

\--------------------------------------------

...Except he didn’t get the chance. When he’d awoken the next day, Tony was already gone, whisked away by Pepper and Rhodey, who had evidently been assisting with the search for him and Steve any way they could.

Steve chanced a visit down to Tony’s lab and surveyed the damage. It wasn’t as bad as Steve thought, although it was clear that the major debris had been carted away. When he asked Natasha about it, she told him that Pepper had hired a team right away to begin rebuilding. ‘It was about the only thing she could do to distract herself,’ Natasha had said.

It was by no means fully repaired, but Steve could see that they’d fixed the outer wall where an enormous hole had been. That must’ve been how they’d gotten Steve and Tony out of the building. The ceiling where the bomb had been placed wasn’t fully repaired yet, with wires hanging down and air ducts exposed.

Steve had no idea what the full scale of the damage had been, but he couldn’t imagine that it had been easy for Pepper to see. That was probably the other reason why she’d wanted it fixed as soon as possible.

Steve didn’t know what to do with himself, so he tried to get back into a routine- working out in the team gym, sparring with Natasha, watching cartoons with Thor, working on the report for Fury. But he couldn’t stop thinking about needing to talk to Tony. 

When the day came to an end and he still hadn’t seen him, Steve figured he’d been pulled into something for S.I.. God knows, they must’ve been panicking at the disappearance of their company’s owner again.

Steve resolved to track Tony down tomorrow.

\------------------------------------------

When Steve walked into the kitchen the next morning, Clint was making breakfast at the stove and Natasha was sitting at the counter, reading the paper. She spotted Steve and immediately pulled the crossword out for him. Steve smiled at the act of familiarity.

“Have either of you seen Tony?” Steve asked.

Natasha shared a pointed look with Clint, almost too quick to notice, before clearing her throat and adjusting the paper.

“No, we haven’t,” Clint responded. “JARVIS?”

“Sir is in his lab,” JARVIS responded.

The lab, then, Steve thought. He wasn’t surprised. That was usually where Tony was when no one had seen him. He glanced down at the crossword in his hands and smiled at the memory of asking for Tony’s help only last week. It felt like a lifetime ago.

Steve took the crossword with him, along with a mug of coffee, and made his way down to Tony’s lab. Before he’d even opened the door, he could hear Tony’s music as well as JARVIS and Tony’s voices floating above the noise. Steve entered his access code and pulled open the door, the music lowering upon his entrance.

“-don’t appreciate the sass, JARVIS. I’d like to not be electrocuted today, if we can help it.” Tony was standing on his workstation, his hands fiddling with some wiring in the ceiling, but he looked toward the door when the music lowered.

“Steve,” Tony said, hesitating briefly before hopping down off his desk and facing him. “Please tell me that coffee’s for me.” Steve held the mug out for Tony, who took it and immediately gulped half of it. “God, I totally forgot about coffee yesterday,” Tony said with disbelief. “I didn’t even think that was possible.”

Steve smiled and pulled a stool over to Tony’s workstation. If he ignored the gaping hole in the ceiling, he could almost pretend that the last week had never happened. He watched Tony for a moment as he sipped his coffee and messed around with his holograms in ways Steve might never fully comprehend. He was wearing a soft-looking black t-shirt with a logo on the front that was probably some band Steve had never heard of.

Tony glanced at Steve and motioned to the paper in his hand. “Crossword troubles?” Steve startled and unfolded the paper on the desk.

“Right,” Steve laughed nervously. Tony narrowed his eyes slightly as Steve scanned the clues for one he obviously wouldn’t know. “Uhh, ‘Ring Great Muhammad’,” Steve read, looking up at Tony. “Three letters.”

“Ali,” Tony said automatically.

Steve nodded and looked back down at the crossword, before realizing he hadn’t even brought a pencil with him. He looked back up at Tony, who was studying Steve with a curious expression. He handed Steve a pen and leaned his elbows on the desk in front of Steve.

“Thanks,” Steve waved the pen gently, before dropping his hand. He was starting to feel like an idiot the longer this went on with Tony giving him that look, so he cleared his throat and changed the subject. “What are you working on?”

Tony glanced over his shoulder briefly before returning his attention to Steve. 

“Well, I was messing with the wiring up there for a minute,” Tony said, “but what I really came down here to do was first of all, figure out what the hell happened to my safety measures, both physical and technological. Second of all, figure out how to track that bastard Kray before he can get too far. Third of all, build a miniaturized tracker/emergency signal for all of the Avengers to carry at all times. And fourth, I’m messing around with a new suit idea.” When Steve raised an eyebrow, Tony elaborated. “The suit would assemble around me in separate segments when I call for it, fast enough to protect me from, say, an explosion. And eventually, could be called across long distances for when I don’t have the suit with me.”

Steve nodded. “Those sound like really good ideas, Tony.”

Tony smiled at him. “Well, I am a genius,” he said teasingly, winking at Steve.

Steve felt heat curl through his stomach and make his neck hot. Yeah, he needed to do something about this. But he didn’t know how to even begin. He looked down at Tony’s hands on the desk, the solder burn from days ago still slightly visible.

Steve reached for it, and this time, didn’t stop his fingers from softly grazing the back of Tony’s hand around the healing burn. His fingertips lingered there, and he didn’t pull away. Neither did Tony.

“It’s almost all healed now,” Steve said, referring to the burn. Steve’s eyes flitted up to see Tony nod slowly.

“What’d I tell you?” Tony said, half-teasingly. “Who needs a healing factor?” Tony was sounding a little breathless, which encouraged Steve to rest his hand more fully on Tony’s. He watched Tony’s adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed.

What Steve really wanted was to feel Tony’s palm against his- feel the callouses that were likely there, built up from hours spent creating in the lab. He wanted to know what Tony was thinking right now- whether Steve was being clear about what he wanted or if he needed to use his words, which he wasn’t always good at.

“Steve?” Tony’s voice was soft and unsure. Steve didn’t know if he’d ever heard him sound quite like it. He wanted to hear more sounds he’d never heard, if Tony would let him.

“I’ve been thinking recently...” Steve said, and as he spoke, he dragged his hand up across Tony’s wrist, his forearm, feeling Tony’s arm hair against his palm. Steve looked up at Tony’s eyes, which were kind of hazy at the moment. His lips had fallen open slightly too, which Steve took as permission to continue.

“...About how I feel,” Steve pressed on. He resumed the path his hand had been making, sliding his palm over Tony’s bicep and lingering briefly at the edge of his shirt sleeve before continuing to his shoulder. His shirt was warm from the heat of his skin, and the whole thing was making Steve feel almost drunk. He hadn’t felt anything like it since before the serum, when he’d actually been able to feel the effects of alcohol.

“...About you,” Steve said, his voice a rough murmur, and his hand finished its path from Tony’s shoulder to behind his neck, his thumb feeling the soft texture of Tony’s hair.

He’d moved his face closer while he’d been talking, or maybe Tony had moved closer. But now their foreheads were nearly touching, and Steve could feel Tony’s shaky inhale. And it was easy for Steve to close the remaining distance.

Tony tasted like coffee and he smelled like his cologne, and Steve hadn’t realized how much he craved the combination until that moment. His facial hair scratched against Steve’s chin, and Steve might’ve groaned a little bit at the sensation.

He felt Tony breathe against his cheek and a hand came to rest around the wrist that clutched Tony’s neck. But he wasn’t pulling Steve away. He was holding onto him. And he was kissing him back.

Steve’s whole body felt like it was burning, yet Tony was barely touching him. Tony’s hand around Steve’s wrist clenched every few seconds and it was a reminder that this was affecting Tony as much as it was affecting Steve.

It was several more moments before Steve could pull himself away. And when he did, he only pulled back enough to see Tony’s expression. His eyes were still closed and his lips parted. Steve watched him for a beat, waiting for a reaction. But when he didn’t, Steve spoke tentatively. “Tony?”

“Huh-uh, come back,” Tony said, using his other hand to grab Steve by the front of his shirt and pull him into a searing kiss.

Steve laughed and held Tony’s hand to his chest, rubbing his thumb over Tony’s knuckles. It was harder to kiss while smiling, but they tried valiantly.

When they eventually parted, Tony was actually flushed, something Steve had never seen outside of a combat situation. Tony realized he was still clutching Steve’s shirt, so he released his grip and smoothed down the fabric, his hand lingering on Steve’s chest.

“Sorry about that,” Tony said, clearing his throat. He had a small smile on his face that wouldn’t seem to go away, but he still looked unsure of himself, like he didn’t know what was supposed to come next. Or like he was waiting for a catch.

“Will I see you later?” Steve asked in a low voice.

“Later?” Tony seemed distracted by Steve’s lips, until he registered what he’d said and looked up sharply. “Wait, later? Why ‘later’? What’s ‘later’?”

Steve smirked and looked down sheepishly. “Well, you have work to do,” Steve said. “And I have work to do.”

“Work?” Tony asked, and then his eyes flicked behind him. “Oh, yeah. That.”

“So, I was thinking,” Steve continued, “maybe later, we could have dinner or something.”

“Dinner,” Tony repeated. Steve gave a small laugh.

“Yes, dinner,” Steve said. “And maybe we could talk. About stuff.” Tony nodded and fidgeted with his hands, not knowing where to look. Steve could practically feel him vibrating with nervous energy.

“That’s- yeah, we should do that,” Tony said. Steve smiled and waited for Tony to meet his eyes again.

“My apartment?” Steve asked. “Seven o’clock?”

“Yeah,” Tony said. “I’ll be there.” Steve smiled, feeling his neck get hot again.

“Okay,” Steve said. “See you then.” 

Tony bit his bottom lip and nodded slightly. “See you.”

With one last glance at Tony’s lips, Steve reluctantly stood up from the stool and walked toward the lab door. He could feel Tony’s gaze on him as he left, making him smile to himself.

So, that had gone well.

\------------------------------------------------

When Steve got back to the upstairs kitchen, Natasha and Clint were still there with their breakfast. Steve figured he probably looked like he was in a daze, which was why Natasha gave him an even more suspicious look than usual.

“You alright there, Cap?” Natasha asked.

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Great,” Steve said.

“Did you find Tony?” Clint asked.

“Uh-huh,” Steve responded, turning around and walking quickly to the elevator to go to his apartment.

He didn’t care that his teammates were probably laughing at him right now. And he still hadn’t eaten breakfast, but his mind was focused on a different meal. He had a dinner to plan.

\------------------------------------------------

Steve was finishing up the steaks when he heard the elevator doors slide open. He checked the time on the stove- 7:01 pm. He smiled and wiped his hands off, turning in time to see Tony round the corner.

He had changed into a gray henley, the buttons undone at the top to reveal his collarbone, but wore the same ripped jeans he always wore in the lab. Steve wondered if he’d ever stop feeling that heat in the pit of his stomach when he saw Tony. He hoped not.

“You’re here,” Steve said. “And only a minute after seven.”

“Well, you know,” Tony said. “Fashionably late and all that.” Steve smiled, but Tony’s answering smile had an edge of tension. It reminded Steve of how he smiled at the media. Steve’s brows furrowed, but Tony sidled up to him at the stove, distracting him by asking about dinner.

“You’ve got the dish towel slung over the shoulder and everything,” Tony said teasingly, patting Steve’s shoulder briefly. “Are you a secret chef?”

Steve shrugged and dragged his hand over the back of his neck. “Not really. I mean, I can basically cook steak and scrambled eggs, and that’s it.” Tony smirked and Steve could feel a familiar blush spreading over his neck. “I got some help from the internet for the potatoes,” he admitted.

“It looks great, Steve,” Tony said, and Steve didn’t understand why there was a hint of sadness to his tone. But he was determined to show Tony a good time, even if there was something wrong Tony wasn’t talking about. “If only My Virgin Kitchen knew Captain America was watching his videos.”

Steve raised his eyebrows and shook his head. Was that a real youtube channel? Steve sometimes couldn’t tell if Tony was just messing with him.

As he plated the food, he stole glances at Tony, mostly because he couldn’t help himself. He really wanted to kiss him, but he wasn’t quite sure where they stood with each other. Tony had definitely enjoyed their earlier meeting. But they also hadn’t talked about it at all. Steve thought they needed to have that conversation before they went any further. And it seemed like Tony needed to get something off his chest too.

Steve had set two places at the dining table, but when they sat down to eat, it felt a little awkward being so formal with Tony. He also felt strangely far away from him, with it only being the two of them across from one another.

Steve was honestly panicking a bit, when Tony took pity on him.

“Steak’s good,” he said. “You’ll be the next Bobby Flay in no time.” Steve knew he didn’t need to point out to Tony that he didn’t know who that was. But he was obviously a chef of some sort, so Steve smiled in response.

“I don’t know about that, but I won’t starve any time soon, at least,” Steve said. “How’s Pepper?” Tony smiled and looked down at his plate.

“Good. I mean- she was very ‘Pepper’ about the whole thing.” When Steve raised an eyebrow, Tony elaborated. “There was some yelling, then some crying, and then she got over it and started hounding me about S.I. business.”

“Yelling?” Steve asked, perplexed.

“Yeah...part of the reason Pepper and I didn’t work out,” Tony continued. “She was never okay with how dangerous this job could be. It usually came out in irritation with me for expecting her to be fine with it.”

Steve bit his lip, and figured now was as good a time as any. “Well, you wouldn’t have to worry about that- with us, I mean.” Tony looked up at Steve sharply, but Steve kept going. “I’m right there with you risking my life every day. At least, we’d both be out there to look out for one another.”

Tony sighed and put down his fork, his expression unreadable. “Steve...”

And the way he said it made Steve’s heart drop and his chest ache. He was suddenly having a hard time breathing.

“No, please don’t look like that,” Tony shut his eyes momentarily, rubbing the crease between his brows. “I- Steve, the last thing I want is to hurt you.”

Well, you’re doing a bang up job of that, so far, Steve thought to himself, swallowing thickly around the lump in his throat. His steak wasn’t tasting so good anymore.

“I just don’t know if-” Tony cut himself off, taking a deep breath like he was preparing for a battle.

“It’s okay, Tony,” Steve forced the words out. “You don’t have to...justify yourself to me.” He knew a rejection when he heard one.

“No, Steve,” Tony protested, looking a bit desperate. “Please just- let me explain.” Steve didn’t know if he wanted to hear more, but he nodded reluctantly. “I know you think you want to...be with me-” Steve bristled at how condescending that sounded. “-but you don’t realize what it would actually be like. I’m a very difficult person to get along with, I’ll be the first to admit. I’m better in small doses.”

“To-” Steve tried, but Tony cut him off.

“Look, you’re already annoyed with me. I’m a neurotic workaholic who doesn’t know when to stop,” Tony said. “And I almost certainly have untreated PTSD that Pepper, for one, never knew how to deal with, let alone myself.”

Steve wanted to stop Tony there, but he was on a roll now.

“I’m stubborn. I’m bitchy. I don’t sleep enough. I drink too much, although I’m working on that,” Tony met Steve’s eyes across the table. “And I’m not gonna be able to keep up with you for long, Steve. One thing’s for sure, dating you is definitely going to give me a complex about my age.”

Steve was squeezing his fork a little hard, so he tried to relax his grip.

“I’m no good for you, Steve,” Tony said, his voice small. “I’m no good for anyone.”

Steve sat there for a beat, waiting for Tony to say anything else, but he was done. Steve’s blood was boiling.

“I’m glad you’ve made that decision for everyone,” Steve bit out, standing abruptly so he jostled the table and rattled the dishware. He grabbed his plate and stormed toward the kitchen, scraping the rest of his food into the trash. He was angrily scrubbing his dish under the faucet, the water hot enough to scald, when Tony leaned carefully against the counter next to him.

“I’m trying to do the right thing here, Steve,” Tony murmured, but Steve refused to acknowledge him. “Talk to me.”

Steve dropped the plate in the sink, likely breaking it, and turned toward Tony. “And tell you what, Tony? What could I say? You’ve already made up your mind.”

“I don’t want you to resent me, Steve,” Tony said, pleadingly. “I need you to understand where I’m coming from.”

“What you’re doing is killing something before you even know how it would turn out,” Steve said. “Something that could be great if you’d let it.” Steve felt his anger melting away, being replaced by disappointment and a deep sadness that sank into his bones. “You’re cutting yourself off from happiness because you’re afraid it might go wrong.”

“Can you blame me?” Tony said, exasperated. “Steve, I don’t know what I would do if we tried this and it ended badly. I’m not good at letting people in, okay? And no one else has ever made me feel this scared.” Tony looked away at those last words, not able to meet Steve’s eyes with the admission. “What if you get tired of me? Or realize you don’t like me the way you thought? Not in the way I would...”

Steve processed that, and belatedly turned off the faucet, sending the room into silence. He watched the way Tony blinked rapidly, trying to reign in whatever he’d thought he’d just revealed.

“Tony,” Steve began softly. “I know my own feelings. And I won’t let someone else tell me how I feel.” Tony looked up at him, chastened, and Steve took a deep breath. “I can’t tell you that nothing will go wrong because I don’t know that. What I can say is that what I feel for you is...it’s intense. If you don’t think this- whatever’s going on between us- is worth exploring, I’ll respect that...”

Tony still looked like he was about to argue, but Steve wasn’t finished.

“...But I ask that you respect me the same way, and trust that I know what it means to feel...attracted to you...to want to touch you all the time,” Steve moved closer to Tony, his eyes catching on Tony’s throat as he swallowed. “To be aware of you constantly, and crave your voice and your smell.”

“My smell?” Tony asked, his voice distracted and his eyes half-lidded, focused on Steve’s lips.

Steve nodded slowly and took a chance, dipping down to gently drag the tip of his nose up Tony’s neck to his ear and over his cheekbone. “Like coffee and metal and whatever cologne you always wear.” Steve pulled away to see Tony’s expression, which was a mixture of dazed and turned on. He felt around for Tony’s hand, brushing against his fingertips, his hand still wet and soapy from the sink. Tony’s fingers twitched toward Steve’s, like he was tempted to take his hand.

“Tell me you’re not interested, and I’ll listen,” Steve said, his forehead nearly touching Tony’s. “But don’t give me any more excuses.”

“I-I’m interested, Steve. God, I’m more- I’m...” Steve slid his other hand around Tony’s back, feeling the muscles flex under his hand and pulling Tony closer until their chests touched. Tony grabbed onto Steve’s hip, and his breath came faster between them. They stood there, almost kissing, but Steve was waiting for Tony to close the gap. He’d been brave already. Now, it was Tony’s turn.

And Tony didn’t make him wait long, attaching his lips to Steve’s and tugging him by the hip until Steve was pressing Tony against the counter. Steve groaned and let one hand wander along Tony’s back, the other coming up to frame his jaw, fingers scratching against his beard. Tony was doing a very good job of completely mussing up Steve’s hair while also maintaining his iron grip on Steve’s hip. Not to mention the tongue that was currently gliding against Steve’s, causing heat to build in his stomach and...lower. Tony was very good at this.

Tony eventually had to pull away to breathe, but he didn’t let that stop him from rucking up Steve’s shirt and sliding his hand underneath. Steve inhaled sharply at the feeling of Tony’s nails scraping down his back. He ducked down to graze first his lips along Tony’s neck and then his teeth, which received a moan from Tony that Steve couldn’t help himself from echoing. The sound caused both of their hips to stutter toward each other, and Steve bit his lip on a gasp.

He was feeling a bit lightheaded and painfully aroused, when Tony tugged him by his hair back toward his mouth, capturing Steve’s lips in a searing kiss that was becoming a signature of his. He finished it off with a playful nip at Steve’s bottom lip as he pulled away, and Steve had to restrain himself from immediately following.

They were both breathing heavily, Tony’s hand hot on Steve’s lower back. “If you try to tell me you’re not interested now,” Steve said, his voice gravelly. “I don’t think I’d believe you.” Tony laughed and clutched Steve harder.

“I won’t,” Tony’s voice was rough like Steve’s. “I’m done arguing. You win.”

Steve kissed Tony quickly, but thoroughly. “We both do,” he insisted. Tony smiled and nodded, his forehead nudging Steve’s. “Oh, yeah,” Tony said smirking.

Steve tugged Tony away from the counter and lifted him by the backs of his thighs, causing Tony to yelp in surprise, his hands shifting to Steve’s shoulder and his legs wrapping around his waist instinctively. Tony raised an eyebrow, but his cheeks were flushed.

“What now, soldier?” Tony asked, as he wrapped his arms more securely around Steve’s neck.

“Well, I thought maybe we’d...” Steve trailed off, inexplicably shy when it came to this sort of talk. But Tony knew exactly what Steve meant. “Yes. That. Let’s- do that,” Tony nodded enthusiastically and Steve grinned, hitching Tony higher on his hips before heading briskly for his bedroom, while Tony worked valiantly at sucking on Steve’s jaw until it bruised.

\------------------------------------------------

“I gotta say, that was a first for me,” Tony spoke into the comfortable quiet they’d been laying in. He was stretched out on his back, the sweat drying on his skin and causing goosebumps.

Steve dragged his eyes away from where his hand had been mapping out the ridges of Tony’s abdomen. “Hmm?”

“I can honestly say that I’ve never been carried into the bedroom,” Tony smirked, winking at Steve. He blushed and bit his bottom lip, loving the way he could see Tony’s eyes follow the movement and darken with desire. Steve released his lip and shuddered as Tony traced his thumb lightly over it, before pulling Steve into a deep kiss.

They were both worn out, so the kiss didn’t go further, but Steve felt like he’d be able to go again pretty soon. He shut his eyes and groaned at the feeling of Tony’s warm hand smoothing one, long motion from Steve’s shoulder down to the back of his thigh. Steve responded by drawing his hand up Tony’s abdomen and chest, his thumb dragging over Tony’s nipple and causing Tony’s hips to spasm.

They were both very handsy at the moment.

Steve pondered what Tony had said moments ago, and wondered if he should say the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He thought it would come out sooner or later, so now was as good a time as any. “You’re my first, you know.” Tony’s eyes snapped to his, but they weren’t judging him, only considering. “I mean, I’d never...had sex with anyone else before,” Steve finished.

Tony didn’t ask him why or act disbelieving. He just tugged Steve closer and nipped his ear, before murmuring, “Well then, I am very impressed. And honored.” Steve gave an amused huff and let Tony glide his fingernails up and down his back, using his place on top of Tony to grab behind his knee and hike up his thigh around Steve’s waist. Their position made it very obvious how Steve was being affected.

“Already?” Tony asked, surprised. The smile that followed the question assured Steve that Tony wasn’t about to complain. “Alright, give me a few minutes and I’ll be right with you,” Tony said, pulling Steve impossibly closer and losing himself in Steve’s lips.

\---------------------------------------------

When Steve woke up a few hours later, he was a little sticky and a lot warm, but nothing outside of an Avengers call to assemble was gonna make him move from this bed. Steve was curled around Tony’s back, his arm slung over his waist. He could feel Tony’s heart beating steadily through his back, and it made a deep ache of longing flood through Steve’s body. No one else had made him feel like this, and he couldn’t understand how he’d ever thought he was in love before now.

And he was- in love, that is. There was no way the intensity to which he cared for and craved Tony could be anything else. It also made him wonder how it had taken him so long to realize. If he really thought back, Steve could trace almost the exact evolution of his feelings for Tony.

He knew that after the Chitauri attack, when Tony had flown that missile through the portal and Steve had started to grasp just how wrong he’d been about the man, Steve had started to find Tony’s eccentric habits endearing instead of annoying. He’d started smiling at Tony’s sarcasm instead of feeling burned by it. But he couldn’t exactly pinpoint where his mind had switched from friendship to relationship.

Maybe it had always been attraction, but it had taken him this long to acknowledge it. He certainly couldn’t imagine being just friends with Tony anymore. Even if this relationship didn’t last forever, and Steve was forced to go back to a friendship with Tony, he knew he would always love him in a different way than anyone else in his life. 

And this was all only after a few hours of being with the man. He hadn’t even really talked to Tony, like he’d planned, about where this was going. All he knew was that Tony was willing to take a chance with Steve, and Steve loved him for that display of trust.

Tony breathed in deeply, his eyes blinking open as his body lengthened and stretched slightly from his curled-up position. The motion and the view made Steve’s toes curl with desire, but he wasn’t in any hurry to go another round tonight.

Tony turned around in Steve’s arms, resting a hand on Steve’s hip and giving him a small, intimate smile. Steve thought he’d never get used to the sight of Tony in his bed, sharing those smiles with him. The arc reactor glowed between them, casting blue light across Tony’s features.

“Your thoughts are really loud,” Tony mumbled, his voice rough with sleep.

Steve gave a small laugh and rubbed his hand against Tony’s smooth back. “Sorry, I was just enjoying the view. I like this one, too,” Steve let his eyes wander lower, before returning to Tony’s face. Tony was grinning and shaking his head at Steve.

“I’m beginning to think I have my hands full with you,” Tony teased, and backed it up by grabbing a handful of Steve’s ass. Steve bucked toward Tony, but tapped him on the back in pretend protest. Tony leaned forward and kissed Steve gently, contrasting the previous mood with soft lips.

When they parted, Tony laid his head on Steve’s pillow and stroked his hand across Steve’s jaw. Steve had to close his eyes at how calming it felt.

“What were you thinking about?” Tony asked into the quiet, his hand moving into Steve’s hair and gently massaging his scalp.

“Mmm, just about...how I really really like you,” Steve managed to get out through the haze of comfort. Tony kissed him gently again, and Steve thought he was gonna melt through the bed.

“I like you too, Steve,” Tony whispered, so Steve opened his eyes to look into Tony’s. He had a serious expression, the likes of which Steve hadn’t seen that often. He couldn’t prevent the way his hand gripped Tony tighter.

“Tony,” Steve bit his lip anxiously. “I’m really serious about this- us. And I feel like you might be too...” Steve waited until Tony nodded at him to continue. “I don’t want to hide this from the team. I want to be able to...pursue whatever I’m feeling when I’m around you, and I won’t be able to do that if I have to hide it around them. And anyway, I don’t think I’d be able to keep my hands off of you for that long, now that I’m allowed.”

“Well, just so you know, the feeling’s mutual,” Tony assured him. “And anyway, Natasha would probably figure it out immediately or else what kind of a spy is she?”

Steve laughed at that. “Yeah, I have a suspicion that she might already know, or at least suspect something.” When Tony raised an eyebrow, Steve told him, “I ran into her and Clint in the kitchen right after I left your lab this morning.” Tony smirked and Steve both hated and loved how cocky it made him look.

In the spirit of clarifying things, since that’s what they seemed to be doing, “Tony, about some of the stuff you were saying earlier,” Steve said.

“We don’t really need to get back into it,” Tony evaded.

“But I want to,” Steve insisted, making Tony sigh. “You listed all those things about yourself like they should scare me away, but you do realize that I deal with those parts of you already just being your friend, right?” Tony kind of scowled at him, but Steve could tell he wanted to smile. “And there’s no need to get a ‘complex about your age.’ Technically, I’m ninety-four years old.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “You were asleep for sixty-six of those years, Steve. I don’t think it counts.”

Steve shrugged as best he could from his horizontal position. “Okay, but your age isn’t what matters to me Tony. It’s you that matters.” Tony pursed his lips at the cheesy line. “And anyway, I like your wrinkles.”

“Oh, you do, do you?” Tony arched an eyebrow, and Steve reached his hand up to rub his thumb gently against the crow’s feet at the corner of Tony’s eye.

“I do,” Steve replied, smiling softly. “They make you look handsome. Not that you wouldn’t be without them. And not that you even have that many.” Tony was a very generous-looking forty-three.

Tony let Steve continue to explore his ‘handsome but few’ wrinkles, amused. “Steve Rogers, do you have an age kink? I think I’m scandalised. But also, not complaining.”

Steve echoed Tony’s eye roll from earlier. “It’s not that, Tony. I just-” Steve sighed. “I guess it reminds me that you’ve lived all these years before I even met you. And that would make me sad, except that I look at them and see all the times something or someone made you smile, or laugh.”

“Or frown,” Tony added. “Or squint, like from the sun, for example.”

Steve sighed again, this time annoyed. “You know, I’m trying to be really sappy and say something sweet to you, but you’re ruining the moment.”

Tony smiled, innocently. “I’m just pointing out that wrinkles also result from bad, annoying moments of my life.” Steve was exasperated, yet still smiling, which he thought might become a regular thing in this relationship of theirs. “Steeeve, tell me my frown lines are handsome, too,” Tony whined, jokingly.

“Yes, fine. Even the frown lines get my heart racing.”

“Steve, you naughty boy,” Tony gasped, acting scandalised.

“Okay, stop talking and kiss me,” Steve said.

“Right away, Captain,” Tony said, cheekily, but he followed Steve’s orders enthusiastically.

\-------------------------------------------

The next time his eyes cracked open, there was sunlight streaming into the room and Steve’s head was resting against Tony’s shoulder, his hand laying on his chest. The arc reactor hummed, warm against his palm. Steve doubted the normal human ear could hear the low buzz. 

Tony’s slow, even breathing meant he was still asleep, so Steve took the time to lightly trace the scarred skin around the reactor, having not been able to see it well in the dark last night. The scars stretched out from the reactor like a star, and Steve felt a sharp pang in his chest at how close Tony had come to death.

He remembered what Tony had told him in Kray’s cell, about the hazy memory of screaming through a surgery in a cave, one without anesthesia, while they carved out a whole in his sternum- not understanding what was happening or why. Steve couldn’t imagine. The pain of the serum entering his body had been incredible, but he’d entered into it willingly, knowing what it would mean.

Steve would always be amazed by Tony’s intelligence, his ability to invent and create, even when he had the bare minimum of resources at his disposal. Steve tried to imagine what the arc reactor was doing beneath the outer casing, powering the electromagnet that was pulling the shrapnel in Tony’s veins away from his heart. It seemed so small for everything it was doing to keep Tony alive.

Tony began to stir, so Steve ended his examination of his scars, letting his hand rest again on Tony’s stomach. Tony shifted his own hand on top of Steve’s, lightly tracing the tendons with his fingertips.

“Morning,” Tony mumbled. Steve lifted his head to look at him, and couldn’t help but give him a small, soft kiss which quickly turned into a languid, unhurried make out session. Steve thought he could do this all day, but his stomach gave a sudden growl, causing him and Tony to break apart with a laugh. “I think I might’ve interrupted your dinner last night, Mr. Rogers.”

Steve smiled, “I’d say it was worth it.”

Tony grinned back at him, and tapped Steve’s hand gently, as he shifted up to sitting. “Come on, soldier. It’s time for a shower. Then, breakfast for you and coffee for me.”

Steve watched as Tony rose from the bed and stretched, the muscles in his back flexing and making Steve’s mouth water. He’d never let himself admire Tony so openly in the light of day, and it was a new experience that Steve never wanted to give up. He also desperately wished he had a pencil and paper to help him document the curve of Tony’s shoulders and neck, the ridges of his spine, the shifting angles of his shoulder blades, the way the elegant line of his back led the eye down to...

Tony turned around, catching Steve’s dark gaze and the way he was biting his bottom lip. Tony raised an eyebrow and winked at Steve. “Are you coming, or not?” he asked, as he sidled into the bathroom. The sound of the shower turning on prompted Steve to clamber out of the bed after him.

\----------------------------------------

“‘Charged atoms,’ four across?” Steve asked.

“Ions,” Tony answered, around the rim of his coffee mug.

Steve nodded and penciled the letters into the crossword. That meant thirty-nine down could maybe be ‘Scour.’ Steve tried it out and skipped fifty across (clue: ‘Guy,’ which at the conclusion of the crossword would read ‘Dude,’ a word he’d never used nor ever would’ve guessed) when Bruce strolled into the kitchen.

Steve and Tony had decided to eat in the team kitchen, and not Steve’s private one, in the spirit of being open with the Avengers about their relationship. And it looked like Bruce would be the first of the team they would share the news with.

Steve glanced up at Tony across the island, who was already looking at him. Steve shared a small, encouraging smile with him.

“Morning,” Bruce said, in his usual, calm voice. Steve could never understand how this man had been dealt the card of a rage monster.

“Morning,” Steve responded, smiling at Bruce as he poured his coffee.

“Bruce!” Tony said. “Missed you yesterday, buddy. I need your opinion on something I’ve been working on.”

Bruce nodded. “Sure, Tony. I’ll take a look. Thought the lab was in bad shape, though.”

Tony shrugged. “Takes a lot more than a bomb to keep me out of there.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Bruce admitted, shaking his head at Tony. “How are you doing, Steve?” Steve looked up from the crossword at the sound of his name.

“Uh, good,” Steve said. “Really good.” He couldn’t help the way his eyes strayed to Tony, before averting back down to the newspaper. 

“That’s...good,” Bruce said, suspiciously. Steve could feel Tony’s smirk. “Are you guys...oka-”

“Actually, Steve and I had sex last night,” Tony said suddenly. “A few times, in fact. And once this morning.” Bruce stared in confusion for a second, before registering the words and choking on his coffee. Tony patted his back, helpfully. “Don’t look so surprised, Brucie. You’re gonna hurt my feelings.”

Steve raised his brows at Tony in disbelief, but Tony just shrugged.

“Uhhh...” Bruce mustered, after a few moments. “I mean, are you- you’re serious?” He looked at Steve, as though expecting him to be the voice of reason. “You two?” Steve looked at Tony again, who was doing that thing where he tried not to smile at Steve, but failed spectacularly. When Steve couldn’t stop the blush from warming his neck and cheeks, Bruce’s eyes widened.

“Wow,” Bruce said, almost to himself. He cleared his throat. “I mean, that’s- good, right? Are you two...” Bruce seemed not to know how to finish the question, but Steve got the idea.

“Together?” Steve finished for him. “Yeah, I’d- I’d say so.” Steve smiled at Tony, and tried not to ogle too much at his forearms in front of Bruce.

“Well, congratulations. I’m- well, I’m really happy for you both,” Bruce said. “I guess I didn’t expect...But I think it's a really good thing. A really good thing.” Bruce was nodding, and a smile was growing on his face as the initial shock wore off.

“Thanks, Bruce,” Steve said, smiling in gratitude. Steve leaned his head in his hand, glancing between the crossword and Tony and trying to act casual.

Bruce took a seat at the island and Steve handed him the rest of the newspaper he wasn’t using. Bruce nodded his thanks and settled in with his coffee. It could almost be like nothing was different, if not for Tony and Steve stealing glances at one another every couple of minutes.

“Well, I’ve got some work in the lab,” Tony said when he’d finished his coffee. “Later, Bruce, Steve...” Tony brushed his hand across Steve’s shoulders as he walked past him toward the elevator. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

Steve watched him go, wondering how he could even find Tony’s walk attractive. He glanced at Bruce when Tony had disappeared around the corner. He probably would’ve kissed Tony if Bruce hadn’t been here. Part of him wanted to be able to do those things in front of the team, but he also wanted to keep certain things private. Maybe over time, Steve wouldn’t have to overthink everything so much. He would just do what came naturally.

When Natasha showed up a little while later, Steve didn’t say anything to her besides the usual morning greetings. He wasn’t sure how to bring the subject up when Tony wasn’t present to make their relationship a natural topic. Bruce gave Steve a look, but didn’t mention anything himself, returning to the newspaper and occasionally helping Steve with crossword clues.

“Are you alright, Steve?” Nat asked, frowning at him. “You seemed quite cheery yesterday.”

“Uh, yeah,” Steve guessed now was as good a time as any. “Nat, I actually wanted to tell you- well, we’ve just told Bruce, and you’re welcome to tell Clint- Tony and I have decided to...”

“Date?” Natasha finished, one brow raised. Steve thought that was a funny choice of words since they’d only really had one date (last night) which had gone okay, then pretty badly, and then amazingly at the end part. But Steve nodded, a feeling of unease falling over him at Nat’s subtle frown.

“You don’t approve?” Steve asked, his tone a little sardonic, considering Nat wasn’t his parent. But he was also a little hurt by her reaction, even if it wouldn’t change his mind about anything. Steve noticed Bruce out of the corner of his eye, grabbing his coffee and shuffling quietly to the armchair by the television, giving Nat and Steve space. “You don’t seem surprised, either,” Steve continued.

Nat pursed her lips and looked down at the counter, before meeting Steve’s eyes head-on. “I’m not at all surprised, no, seeing as you just went through something pretty traumatising and life-bonding with each other. Not to mention the looks you’ve been giving each other for months, and how pleased you were yesterday.”

“You are a spy,” Steve said, his mouth quirking up at the corner slightly.

Nat sighed, and Steve braced himself for her next words. “I can’t tell you what to do here, Steve. You both are grown men, and you can make your own choices.” Steve sensed a ‘but’ coming. “No one who knows either of you can deny that you both care about one another a lot. But you are both extremely stubborn men, and have been known to get pretty hot-headed in the past when you disagree.”

“That was before we really knew each other, Nat,” Steve pointed out. But she just shook her head.

“I just worry about if something happens one day that you fundamentally can’t agree on- the kind of effect that would have on the Avengers would be...” Nat trailed off, looking sad, but convinced of her opinion. Steve thought about what she was saying, and he couldn’t imagine what kind of situation would warrant Nat’s worry, but he thought he had a pretty good argument.

“Nat, the more time I have to convince Tony that we’re better together, the less likely that anything will be able to break us apart,” Steve said, earnestly. “Tony’s already self-conscious enough as it is about all of this. He’s reluctant to let himself have something good, afraid he’ll mess it up somehow and drive me away.” Nat didn’t react, but Steve could see it was a reflection of some of her own thoughts.

“But he’s wrong, Nat. If we all went our whole lives denying ourselves happiness because we were scared, no one would ever be happy. And we could be missing out on something great, that might never have gone wrong if we’d given it a chance.” Nat looked down at the counter again. “It may be selfish, but I won’t deny myself or Tony this, Nat. I can’t. Not even if it ends in flames. Which I don’t think it will.”

Nat considered his words for a while, long enough that Steve had to add one last thing.

“I love him, Nat,” Steve said quietly. “I really do.”

Nat eventually smiled, and Steve knew he’d won her over, though it hadn’t been his intention. “Of course you do,” Nat said, shaking her head.

“I haven’t told him that yet,” Steve admitted. It had felt good to say out loud, but it would feel even better to tell Tony.

“You will,” Nat said, with certainty. Steve nodded. He would, but he didn’t want to scare Tony off. The time would come when it felt right to say.

Steve spent the rest of the day finishing the report for SHIELD and training in the gym. He hadn’t heard anything from SHIELD or seen anything on the news, but they were the best at keeping things under wraps. Steve wasn’t even sure there would be a SHIELD after the weekend was over, but he’d know more when he heard back from Fury.

He didn’t catch sight of Tony all day, which Steve knew meant he was wrapped up in work in the lab. When it got to be midnight and there was still no sight of him, Steve made his way downstairs. Tony was in the lab with the music blaring, same as usual, but he was sitting at his workstation, his elbows resting on the desk and his head in his hands. Steve frowned and made his way to Tony’s side.

“Music off, please, JARVIS,” Steve said. Tony dragged his hands down his face and looked up at Steve, smiling wearily. Steve leaned his hip against the desk next to Tony’s stool and looked down at him. “What’s goin’ on?”

Tony started rubbing his forehead in frustration. “I can’t seem to locate Kray. I’ve tried everything that usually works- tracking telephone lines, credit card transactions, traffic cameras- but he’s not showing up anywhere. And I know SHIELD is probably not telling us everything. Maybe they even know where Kray is. Maybe they even have him in custody and don’t want us to interfere. Wouldn’t surprise me at all...”

Steve listened to Tony’s rambling and tried to let him wear himself out.

“I’m just...tired, Steve. And I’d much rather be spending my time with you- preferably in bed,” Steve bit back a smile. “But I can’t because I let you down.” Steve started to respond, but Tony cut him off. “It’s my job to make sure no one wishing us harm can get in and out of this tower, but it happened and you were hurt because of it. I can’t make up for it, but I can ensure it never happens again.”

Steve sighed and leaned one elbow on the desk so he could look Tony in the eyes better. He gently took ahold of Tony’s hand covering his face and pulled it away but didn’t let it go. Tony looked at him with an exhausted expression, but his thumb dragged across Steve’s knuckles soothingly.

“You have nothing to make up for, Tony. I’m sure when you find out what went wrong, you’ll realize there was nothing we could’ve done to stop it. And I know you’ll make the Tower’s defenses even stronger after this because that’s what you do,” Steve said. “The team somehow breaks your incredible inventions all the time, and you find a way to make it so they can never break it the same way twice.”

Tony gave him an exasperated smile. “Thanks for the pep talk, Cap.”

“Please come to bed,” Steve said, biting his lip because he could tell Tony got distracted when he did so. “All of this will be here in the morning, and it sounds like you won’t get any further with it tonight.” Tony was indeed distracted by Steve’s lower lip. “I’m also being selfish because I’d really like a repeat of last night...and maybe we could try your room this time.”

Any protest Tony might’ve had was hopefully killed by that last statement. A sort of fog had fallen over Tony’s eyes, one that Steve was getting to know better each day.

“I think I need a reminder, big guy,” Tony said, his voice suggestive. Steve smiled, but didn’t hesitate, leaning in and kissing Tony as dirty as he knew how. He put his free hand against Tony’s jaw to subtly guide him where he wanted. When he pulled away, Tony looked convinced. “Alright, bed it is.”

Steve laughed as Tony stood abruptly and dragged him by the hand out of the lab and up the stairs toward his suite.

\---------------------------------------------

Later, when Steve lay worn out on his stomach and Tony lay on his side next to him, stroking his back with a lazy hand, Tony spoke up. “Steve...how are you so okay with all of this?”

Steve adjusted slightly so his face wasn’t quite so smushed into the pillow, and he could respond to Tony. “Hm? ‘This’?”

Tony quirked his lips. “I mean, being with another man...like this.” Steve furrowed his brows, but Tony continued on. “I just thought...I mean, it’s so hard for men even today to come to terms with being gay- or bi-”

“Is that what you are? Bi?” Steve asked, thinking of Pepper.

Tony nodded with a small smile. “I’m attracted to men and women, yes,” Tony bit his lower lip. “I guess I'm just surprised with how sure you are about me- about what you feel for me.” Tony was looking anxious, like he was testing his luck by bringing up any doubts about them.

Steve just smiled and moved his arm from underneath him so he could lay a gentle hand against Tony’s jaw. He stroked his thumb over Tony’s chin and lightly over his lower lip to get Tony to stop biting it nervously.

“I won’t say that it’s always been easy, Tony,” Steve started. He’d never actually spoken about this out loud with anyone. “I definitely was confused for a long time, thinking there was something wrong with me or that there was no one feeling the way I felt- like I didn’t belong. I thought I was in love with Peggy, I really did. But I think I was just so grateful to have a woman interested in me for once. And she was so beautiful and confident and sure of herself.” All of Tony’s attention was on Steve, with focused intensity.

“But then I woke up in this century, where a lot of people are so much more open about their sexuality. There was a whole community out there that understood and were sure of themselves too. I think I started accepting a part of myself that I’d ignored for years. But I didn’t really understand it fully...until you.” Tony raised an eyebrow and Steve nodded. “It was hard to deny my sexuality when Tony Stark was always around, looking like you did and always making me feel...well, it was undeniable at that point.”

Tony nodded, his cheeks a faint pink. “I tend to have that effect on people,” he joked, and Steve rolled his eyes.

“Anyway,” Steve continued. “Nothing that makes me feel this happy could be wrong. And my personality has always been to go after the things I want.”

Tony laughed, and his smile made Steve’s stomach flip. “Yes, I can confidently say that I know that about you.” Steve smiled back. “Steve, I feel like I’m falling in really deep, really fast with this- with us. But I think I’m ready to just...let myself have this, you know?”

Steve looked at Tony’s earnest expression and felt his heart pounding. He nodded carefully. “I’m ready too, Tony.”

Tony gave a small smile, but his eyes were a little sad. “I have to admit to you, though, that I’m probably gonna be messed up about this Kray thing for a while.” Steve frowned and stroked Tony’s chin again. “I just...I feel responsible- and I know,” Tony talked over Steve so he couldn’t interrupt. “I know you don’t think the same, but it’s just how my mind works through these things. I’m probably gonna be in the lab for hours every day, and I might not be here in the mornings when you wake up. It can be hard for me to sleep when my mind is cycling like this.”

Steve nodded reluctantly- even though he wanted to argue with Tony- because he knew it was what Tony needed in that moment. Tony knew how Steve felt on the matter, but he couldn’t expect Tony to change his mind just like that. Steve could certainly be just as stubborn when it came to his own irrational anxieties.

“I don’t want you to be...disappointed,” Tony continued, and Steve felt his stomach drop unpleasantly at the admission. “It might take me a long time to come to terms with everything that happened. I might never...” Tony trailed off. Steve turned fully on his side so he could face Tony head-on and wrap his arm around his waist.

“Tony, I haven’t come to terms with it either, not really. I’ve become quite good at compartmentalizing, which helps me continue to function but isn’t actually healthy,” Steve said. “When I let myself think about it, it drives me crazy the way they used me against you. And I feel like I never should’ve asked you to refuse their demands at the cost of watching them...” Steve trailed off as Tony shut his eyes. He spent a moment simply rubbing Tony’s side, until he was able to meet Steve’s gaze again.

“To think I caused you any pain, even incidentally. And to imagine if our situations had been reversed...I’m not okay,” Steve said. “But we will help each other.” Tony nodded and leaned in to kiss Steve softly.

“Jesus, we’ve had some heavy talks recently,” Tony said. “I promise being in a relationship with me will be more fun than this.”

Steve gave him a teasing smile. “I was having a lot of fun about ten minutes ago,” he winked at Tony, causing him to laugh. He looked at Steve with an affection that Steve hoped he deserved.

“Me too,” Tony said, pulling Steve closer by the hand on his back.

They lay like that, kissing softly and talking quietly, until Tony drifted off. Steve watched him for a while, comforted by his even breaths. 

Steve knew every night wouldn’t be like this. There would be times they fought and times they were so exhausted they barely spoke a word before falling into bed. There would be days that they couldn’t stand to be around one another, frustrated with the other’s stubbornness. There would be nights when they were apart because one of them was in the hospital, due to their dangerous occupation. And there would be nights neither of them slept in their bed because of that same occupation. There would be nights when one or the other of them would wake up on choked screams, shaking and sweating. But they would do it together.

And they would find Kray together too, and settle this whole terrible business. They would move on and meet new villains and experience new injuries. The team would break more things that Tony had to fix. Steve would finally draw Tony like he’d craved, many times in fact. And even if SHIELD was compromised and forced to shut down, the Avengers would carry on somehow. Because that was what they did- what they’d always do.

Eventually, Steve followed Tony into sleep, soothed by his serene breathing and thoughts of a long future ahead of just this.

**Author's Note:**

> **torture warning** Steve experiences torture where he's cut and stabbed, some bones are broken, and he's shot in the leg. Tony has to watch this happen at Steve's insistence not to interfere, but it only lasts maybe "two pages," and Steve's healing factor kicks in immediately **torture warning**
> 
> And that's that! I realized after writing this that I seem to like to end fics with people falling asleep together? idek  
I really liked this story idea, and will likely write more things in this universe in the future! Thanks for reading ;)


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